This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. The Center for Protease Research was established in 2001 with funds from the COBRE program. The previous grant application had a strong focus on chemistry, while this continuation will have a strong biology component with cancer and asthma as the primary disease targets. Understanding the biological role played by matrix metalloproteinases and histone deacetylases in cancer and other diseases such as asthma will be a major scientific goal. The Center will coordinate the expertise of 4 new investigators: Glenn Dorsam and Gregory Cook, Department of Chemistry and Molecular Biology;Bin Guo, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences;and Jane Schuh, Department of Veterinary and Microbiological Sciences. Core Facilities in biology and synthetic chemistry will play a key role in assisting the research programs of the new PI's, other NDSU researchers, and North Dakota INBRE researchers. The Center will continue to build infrastructure, initiate new activities, and continue previously successful programs to foster growth of biomedical research in North Dakota. Combating cancer, one of the leading causes of mortality in humans, is a major goal for biomedical scientists. The NDSU COBRE center will conduct research to provide fundamental information on how proteases, a key biological player in several diseases, impacts cancer. These studies have the potential to provide novel therapeutics that can treat this deadly disease.